My brother Joel was just out for a long weekend and we decided to take a trip to one of my favorite places in the world, Muir Woods.

It’s just so incredibly calming to walk through this little redwood micro-climate. It’s like the forests in every Disney movie you’ve ever seen come to life. It’s a great low-pressure place to take kids too. It’s a short drive from Golden Gate Bridge with about a bajillion incredible vistas of the Pacific on the way (we stopped at Muir Beach Overlook). You can stop for lunch in Mill Valley, Sausalito, or go right into the city. (We like Super Burger in Mill Valley).

Though we only live about an hour and a half from the bay and all it has to offer, we really don’t get there unless my family is in town. Every time we go I wonder why we don’t come back like all the time. In all honesty, I think the reason we tend to want to pack up and go adventuring when we have company is because it’s so much easier to do with an extra set of hands along.

This birthday marks four years that I have had my DSLR camera and I’m finally totally comfortable shooting in manual. I’m currently working on getting my focus and aperture right. This little 50 mm lens has been really nice to me, though it’s technically more suited to close-ups than landscaping photos. I’m still learning and learning…and critiquing myself…but it’s fun to finally start to master a few of the basics, even if it is just camera buttons.

It was so cathartic to be able to walk through with my camera and capture these kind of perfectly imperfect shots with the girls. Actually, the whole weekend was pretty cathartic. When my family comes to visit, I just let down in a way that I don’t when I’m outside of the context of my Seibel family identity. There’s not much better than being around people who just get you. It’s like David says… “They run Rachael OS.” Or maybe I run Seibel OS.

Just look at those faces of wonder! It’s weird to think my girls will grow up in California, thinking that casual day trips to the beach and the mountains are totally normal! If you’re looking for a relaxing day trip for the family in the bay, definitely go to Muir Woods. It never gets old!